Mihai Zaharia, Director of Investments and Capital Markets at Globalworth has over 15 years of experience in banking, during which time he held a number of important positions in different companies, focusing on large projects targeting the real estate sector.
DEVO: How do the Globalworth construction sites look like for the new developments and what is the pace of work, at this point?
Mihai Zaharia: Globalworth Industrial, Globalworth’s logistics and light industrial sub-brand, is currently 100% functional, with an unaffected pace of work – whether we are talking about construction sites like Constanta Business Park or Chitila Logistics Hub, where we haven’t stopped or slowed down our activity, or the industrial parks from Pitești and Timișoara, where the occupancy rate and rental requests remained at the same level. We keep an accurate inventory of all the materials and products arriving at the construction sites and the provenience information. We are on schedule with all the planned deliveries, but given the unpredictable situation, we are prepared with different plans and solutions and at the right time we can intervene – depending on how things evolve.
The new context has imposed new hygiene and safety rules that we implemented from the first days of the crisis. The safety and well-being of our employees and customers, as well as the business continuity are our top priority – therefore, we have immediately applied all appropriate measures required by relevant authorities for our entire portfolio.
DEVO: What measures has Globalworth taken in the new economic context?
Mihai Zaharia: We are actively following the developments on a daily basis, we respect all the instructions and standards published by local and national authorities and we are sharing the information with all our workers, suppliers and subcontractors, with whom we are in permanent contact.
We have heightened the measures and we have also implemented a very strict daily cleaning program, using disinfectants approved by the relevant authorities – extremely powerful products that destroy viruses, but they are safe for human health. We have increased the number of of the dispensers with alcohol-based disinfectant, antibacterial soap, disinfectant gels and we have also installed hand washers and liquid soap on multiple spots of the construction sites. We have displayed information panels and stickers on visible areas inside the sites and our Health and Safety specialists hold frequent meetings with the workers providing them with information regarding the outbreak and potential risks. Just to give an example of how measures have been taken: usually, we hold this kind of meetings twice a month, now, given the current situation, we have the instruction gathering twice a week, to ensure that each rule is clearly communicated and respected. We insist on using authorized and verified sources to avoid misinformation and we urge all our subcontractors to follow the protocols and guidelines. We will continue our very close cooperation and communication with key partners in our effort to safeguard health and safety in our entire portfolio.
DEVO: What do you think we have learned from this pandemic experience so far?
Mihai Zaharia: We have learned a lot and there is still a lot to be learned. It is clear to all of us that we will face a difficult and challening period, with a significant impact on the global economy. We are facing a truly unprecedented crisis and perhaps one of the most important lessons is how we manage this uncertainty. Although we are fully aware of the gravity of this situation, we also observe its fluidity – the situation moves so rapidly, that it is difficult to predict how it will evolve in the future. We do not know how long it will take and therefore business continuity plans and solutions are constantly updated. In this storm, solidarity is vital for everyone. It is important to help both: us, as company and us, as society. Until now, Globalworth donated 550,000 euros to help fight against COVID, an amount that supports the medical systems in Romania and Poland. We take great care of our colleagues, partners, tenants and communities. We comply with all the measures and we do everything we can to safegaurd the business and support the real estate industry, but above all these, it is mandatory to help in every possible way.
Let’s respect the rules and measures, let’s get involved, let’s be responsible, let’s overcome this difficult life stage together! Let’s keep calm, let’s trust that, together, we will get the market back to work as soon as possible!
We have a long road ahead of us, but the journey will be worth it.
Mihai Zaharia participated as speaker in the second edition DEVO – International Forum of Large Developers. This year’s edition will take place at the JW Marriott Grand Hotel in Bucharest on October 23.
Master Partner DEVO 2020: ARABESQUE. Professional Partners: KONE, ROCKWOOL, DANFOSS. Partners: KNAUF INSULATION, KNAUF, ALUKÖNIGSTAHL, ZACARIA. Supporter & Exhibitor: SKYLUX.
More details on: www.borocommunication.ro/en/project/large-developers-forum-2020/
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